Sharon Barb OConnor

Kansas City, Missouri, USA
Certified UM Trainer/Teacher

I have maintained a regular meditation practice for over 10 years and have been working with students interested mindfulness meditation and meditative practices the past four years. My shift to mindfulness meditation practice comes out of experiences as a nurse in the critical care arena, and then in private practice as a psychologist; the need for mindfulness practice through hard times was evident. It was much later in my journey that I began to ask how mindfulness meditation might benefit us in good times, positively impact our immune system and strengthen that sense of well-being. I was curious-strong and looked for mindfulness meditative training and education from programs well established in science and evidence based practice.

• Mindful Awareness Research Center and Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, UCLA, TMF class of 2019. Trainer/Mindfulness Facilitation. (Upon completion I hold Certified-Professional status with I.M.T.A. – International Mindfulness Teacher’s Association)

• Compass Training, Unified Mindfulness Certified U.M. Teacher/Trainer in 2022

I have also completed training and course work in these areas:

• Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, MBSR (2018)

• Teacher Trainer-Mindful Awareness Practices for Daily Living MAPS 1, evidence-based (2020)

• Mindful-Self Compassion, M-SC (2022)

• The Complete Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness Training: a Two Part Comprehensive Training for Mindfulness Providers-David Treleaven (2022-2023)


Daily mindfulness practice has had a powerful impact on my life on a personal level; it is the ‘why.’… behind all the facilitation/coaching/training I offer at this phase of my career. I came to it though hardship in 2014, unable to sleep, struggling with profound loss and emotional pain. Through meditative practice, I was able reach a deeper understanding of how letting go, grasping and numbing speeds up or slows down healing. I’m curious how mindfulness meditation can offer a sense of well-being independent of the conditions/upheaval that comes our way, the stuff we all experience in our daily lives; I look forward to our work together in your journey.

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